Three people lose lives in shooting at Louisiana cinema screening

Gunman opened fire 20 minutes into a screening of comedy film 'Trainwreck'

Three people have lost their lives after a gunman opened fire at a cinema in Lafayette, Louisiana last night (July 23).

Police have said that the perpetrator was a 58-year-old white male armed with a handgun. He is understood to have opened fire around 20 minutes into a screening of comedy film Trainwreck, killing two people and injuring several others before shooting himself dead.

The gunman’s identity is known, but is not being released to the public at present, police chief Jim Craft has confirmed. Seven people who attended the screening are currently being treated in hospital for injuries sustained during the attack, the BBC reports.

Amy Schumer, writer and star of Trainwreck, has taken to Twitter to share her condolences in the wake of the attack. “My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana,” she wrote.

My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana.

Louisiana’s Governor, Bobby Jindal, made his way to Lafayette, a small city of around 120,000 citizens, in the aftermath of the attack yesterday evening. “We will get through this. We are a resilient community,” he said in a statement. “This is an awful night for Lafayette. This is an awful night for Louisiana. This is an awful night for the United States.”